


Keys to Your Heart

by only_bliss



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, M/M, Minho is a HORRIBLE roommate, Roommates to lovers, but Chan is whipped anyway, mostly panicked and overthinking Chan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2020-09-23 03:35:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20333386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/only_bliss/pseuds/only_bliss
Summary: "and they were roommates"chan dreads his new roommate found off craigslist. thankfully, lee minho doesn't turn out to be a pyscho. unfortunately, he does end up being the reason chan becomes a panicked gay 25/8minchan! roommate au





	1. Questionable Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting the Roommate Part 1

Really- this whole ordeal was all on Chan. He knew what he was getting into. Well, more like knew he didn’t know what he was getting into, but in the end all that matters is that his new roommate is supposed to arrive today at 3 and he couldn’t be more stressed. Currently it was 2:43 and the seconds ticked closer and closer, leaving a frazzled Chan pacing around his living room and a mildly confused Changbin eating chips on the couch.

“So... why am I here again? I mean it’s cool- your place always has the best snacks, but you don’t particularly like inviting me or Jisung over.”

“That’s because you guys end up eating all my snacks. Like you are right now- and really? You had to take the sour cream and onion?”

Changbin popped a chip into his mouth and crunched. “Other people are allowed to like the same flavours as you!” he pointed out, undeterred by the glare Chan shot at him.

With a sigh, Chan plopped onto the couch and took the bag from Changbin, who whined. He began munching on his stolen-now-reclaimed chips. “Remember how I said I was looking for a new roommate?”

“Yeah. Haven’t you been searching for one for like, two months??” 

Chan nodded. “A whole two months of receiving applications on craigslist, filing out definite weirdos, then setting up interviews with people, eliminating more weirdos only to find out that my parents were right. Never use craigslist unless you want to end up murdered by a psychopath.” Chan could still hear his mom’s words echoing in his mind.

“Sounds rough.”

“Yeah So last week I said, ‘Fuck it. The next time someone contacts me about moving in, I’m just accepting them without looking at anything.’ Which, at the time, seemed fine- because my income isn’t really paying the bills anymore and I was that desperate. But now, this person is supposed to be here in,” He checked his watch. “10 minutes, and I’m really regretting not asking any questions.”

For a minute, Changbin just watched his older friend stare at the door, bouncing his leg, a habit he noticed the older had when he was extremely nervous. “Do you even know the new guys name?”

“Lee Minho. Or at least, that’s what he said.”

“Have a little faith, hyung. I’m sure he won’t turn out to be that bad.” Changbin patted his friend on the shoulder, doing his best to reassure the elder “And don’t worry, you chose the right person to be your bodyguard.”

“Yeah, if the dude’s five feet”, the elder snickered. 

“Hey!”

Right as Changbin snatched a pillow to hit the blonde, three sharp knocks came from the front door. 

Chan’s eyes widened, quickly checking his watch. “Fuck, he’s early. Why is he early?!” Jumping from the couch, he began to pace again not quite ready to face whoever was on the other side.

“Hyung, relax. Do you want me to open the door?” Changbin did his best to sound comforting, but a tinge of amusement came through in his voice. It was rare to see Chan so uncomposed, but he was perfectly fine basking in this moment, sure to be used as future emotional blackmail.

“No, it’s fine. Just make sure to at least get a good look at the guy if he actually does end up attacking me.” With a deep breath, he made his way to the door. 

“No promises, the moment I see blood, I’m booking it out of here. Not my problem.” There was a second round of knocking.

“Coming!” Chan flipped off Changbin and unlocked the door. Soon after opening the door, Chan was faced with an unexpected sight.

In front of him stood a young man with wide eyes, seemingly caught off guard by the sudden motion, though he wasn’t the only one surprised. Chan knew a pretty boy when he saw one, and 90% of the time those interactions never ended in his favor. Chocolate brown hair messily parted through the middle framed a round face holding a light sheen of sweat. He was around the same height as Chan and while his clothing was plain, his looks were far from it. Chan was, to say the least, floored. This man was gorgeous. How could someone merely standing have such a strong presence? Maybe he was a model? With a warm smile and extended hand, the man began to speak.

“Hi, my name’s Lee Minho, I’m here to move in.”

Chan returned the gesture and opened the door wider for the other to make his way in. “Right, I’m Bang Chan. Uh, come in, take a seat.” As many times as Chan welcomed people into his place, he never really knew  _ how  _ he was supposed to do it. He just hoped the other couldn’t tell how nervous he was. 

“Does… anyone else live here? I thought the listing said it was just one person.”

_ Oh fuck _ . Changbin was still here. Still eating all his sour cream and onion chips, now staring at the two in the entry. Minho turns back to Chan expectantly while all Changbin can do is laugh silently at how wrong Chan’s assumptions were. 

“Oh, no. No, sorry for the confusion. That’s my friend Changbin. You’ll be seeing him often.” Changbin gives Minho a friendly wave which grants a smile in return. 

“Ah, okay.”

They settled into the couch and Chan found that it was really easy to make conversation with Minho. The boy was apparently a 3rd year dance major working as a receptionist at a local dance company. 

“We have a few friends in your department but I’ve never seen you when I drop by.” Changbin mentioned.

“That’s probably because we go to different universities. Mine’s the one down on Walnut that specializes in the arts.” 

“Ah yeah, that makes sense, me and Chan are from JYP.” Chan was impressed to say the least. The university Minho attended was extremely hard to get into, even more so as a dance major. Had it not been for the lack of business courses, Chan would’ve gone there too. 

Getting to know each other had calmed Chan down immensely when he realized Minho wasn’t some crazy psycho. Maybe Chan needs to lay off the midnight horror movie sessions. After showing Minho the place, they were able to discuss living arrangements and payment. Changbin had left just before they finished discussing rent, saying his goodbyes to the both.

“It was nice meeting you Minho, I’ll see you around sometime.”

“Yeah, same to you.”

“And Chan?”

“Yeah?”

“Told you so.” Before Chan could yell anything back, he shut the door with a cheeky grin and wink. Sometimes Chan questions why he chose Changbin of all people to worry with, but he knew Jisung wouldn’t have been any better. All he could do now was shake his head at his friends antics. 

“Does this look good to you? Anything else you wanna add or fix?”

“Looks good to me, roommate.” Both grinned at the title. Chan had his fair share of roommates, not all panning out so great, but he had a good feeling about Minho. Maybe it was because every subtle smile the other gave him made his heart beat just a little faster, but those were minor details.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! chapter 1 is hereeeee. 
> 
> i honestly have no clue where i'm going with this but i'm really excited to write it all so do bear with me
> 
> thank you for reading! pls comment and kudos are nice too :))
> 
> luv~ <3


	2. Keep It Cool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting the Roommate Part 2

Minho wasn’t expecting anything when he finally got a place to stay- at least, he wasn’t expecting anything good.. After all, he  _ was  _ using craigslist, which wasn’t exactly the most reputable place for, well,  _ anything _ .

However, he must of been doing something right, because he got a response to move in almost immediately. All of his friends said he was crazy for trusting the site, and even crazier for following through with the listing (except for Hyunjin, but considering how he was a hopeless romantic who read too much GOT7 fluff fanfiction, his opinion was automatically vetoed.) But Minho was nothing short of a bold idiot who was determined to move out of his parent’s house. So he did.

Was he concerned? A little bit. The night prior to moving in, he watched those Reddit roommate story compilations which quickly knocked his confidence down a peg or two. But driving up to the small, well kept apartment complex managed to alleviate a good portion of his anxiety.

Minho wasn’t the type to get nervous. He knew what he wanted and took the time needed to get it. He was deliberate in his choices (unless he was drunk. Don’t ever trust a drunk Minho). In a way, it was the same way with people. Meeting new people was a breeze for him. There was a clear standard for how a conversation should begin, and if one were as perceptive as him, it wouldn’t be hard to navigate how each conversation should go. Meeting people, making friends, choosing your close ones, was easy.

This, however, was a whole ‘nother ball game. Minho had no idea what he was walking into. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem, but this was where Minho was hoping to live. With another person who he knew nothing about. If they clashed, there was no backing out. Moving was a pain in the ass, and Minho wasn’t looking to do it a second time. 

So right now? Yeah, he was a bit nervous. Swiftly knocking on the door he held his breath in anticipation and waited.

And waited. 

… 

He knocked again. 

A faint, “Coming!” came from inside and the door swung open, startling Minho. 

After recomposing himself, Minho held out his hand. First impressions were important. “Hi, my name’s Lee Minho, I’m here to move in.”

“Right, I’m Bang Chan. Uh, come in, take a seat.” Minho could tell the other was nervous by the pauses, but he seemed nice. 

Scanning the room, he quickly noticed the other body in the room. Sitting on the couch was a small yet sharp featured man, quietly staring, eating chips. “Does… anyone else live here? I thought the listing said it was just one person.”

Chan’s eyes widened and he quickly turned back to see the other male snickering at the two.  _ Did he forget he had someone over?  _ He did his best to laugh it off, rubbing the back of his neck, but Minho could tell he was flustered at his fumble. “Oh, no. No, sorry for the confusion. That’s my friend, Changbin. You’ll be seeing him often.” The other man, Changbin, smiled and waved, to which he returned the gesture.

“Ah, okay.” Minho refocused his attention to the man next to him as he directed them to the couch. After the awkward start, the three were able to settle into a comfortable conversation. He learned the other two attended JYP University. Chan was majoring in Music Business while Changbin was solely studying Music Composition. 

Chan quickly gave him a tour of the place. It was small, but not suffocatingly so. With a rather open floor plan, the narrow entry led to the living room and right behind them, earlier blocked by a wall, was a kitchen with a small table creating some sense of a dining room. There wasn’t much furniture, but instead of making the place seemed dreary, it just made it look more open, sunlight shining on cream colored walls. Down a hallway was two bedrooms across from each other, and a small bathroom at the end of the hall. Minho assumed his was the smaller of the two, but a room was a room, and he wasn't complaining. They came to a consensus on rules and rent easily 

They were able to settle rules and rent without a hitch. Overall, Minho was really happy with how this had all turned out. 

Eventually, Changbin, the shortest of the three, took his leave and left the two to finish finalizing everything. 

“Does this look good to you? Anything else you wanna add or fix?” Chan asked once his friend left with a cheeky comment that almost flew over Minho’s head. While he didn’t know what Changbin had  _ “told him so” _ so about, he could only assume it was about him at the way Chan’s face tinted pink.

“Looks good to me, roommate.” Minho couldn’t help grinning at the way Chan seemed to brighten at the approval.  _ Cute _ . 

  
  


By the time Minho finished bringing in and unpacking his belongings, the sun had tucked in a long time ago. He was exhausted, but happy. It felt like a huge milestone, and he gained a firmer sense of independence. Adulthood reached him 3 years ago, but it seemed like he finally had a stronger concept of it. As he slowly drifted to sleep upon the sheets of his freshly made bed, a quiet knock sounded throughout his dark room . 

“Minho?” Chan opened the door slightly, warm light flooding the room. Minho cracked his eyes open at the intrusion. 

  
Minho rubbed his eyes in a weak attempt to erase his fatigue. He let out a small, “Yeah?”

Squinting, he could make out Chan’s silhouette against the brightness of the hallway. “I don’t really have much right now, but would you like dinner? I could make ramen maybe, as a house welcome, or something.”

The mention of food brought Minho’s attention to his stomach, making him realize how hungry he was. Groaning, he slowly righted himself on the bed. “Sure, that sounds great actually if you don’t mind.” 

Chan waved him off, as to signal that there was no problem. “Yeah, it’s totally fine. I’ll call you over when I’m done.”

The door closed and Minho took a minute to shake away his drowsiness, standing up and yawning. He made his way to the kitchen once he felt more awake and as the smell of ramen became more present, his stomach growled in anticipation. 

In the kitchen, Chan was carefully distributing the noodles between bowls. He turned around at the sound of Minho pulling out a chair and sitting down.

“Cool, I was just about to yell at you. Food’s ready.” Chan grinned, clearly proud of his cooking. Peering into the bowl, your standard mix of noodles and small vegetables sat. Ooh, and half a hard boiled egg. Fancy. 

Minho quirked a brow at Chan’s giddiness. “You seem awfully excited about your noodles.” 

“I don’t cook at lot, so there’s always a little concern when I step in the kitchen. But the egg turned out really nice, so overall, I’d say it was a success.” Minho hummed in response and began to eat. It wasn’t bad. Ramen is ramen. And the egg  _ was  _ a bonus. They both continued to sit, content with the finished meal. 

“So,” Chan began. “What’s Soul Arts like?”

“Hmmm,” Minho contemplated. “It’s not bad. Lot of pretentious artists and whatnot- but I enjoy it, for the most part. My teachers are tolerable, and I mostly enjoy my classes. Not to mention, it’s nice being in the city.”

“Where were you before?”

“More east, over in the countryside. It wasn’t bad but I prefer the faster pace.” Chan nodded and began gathering the dishes. “I can do that, you already made dinner.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it.” Chan waved him off and got to work on cleaning the dishes while Minho idly stood by. 

“I feel bad, though,” he complained.

Chan laughed at his poor attempt to pout. He wasn’t the best at fake sadness or sympathy. “It’s fine, Minho. You can make it up to me by telling me more about yourself. We were busy with the whole moving in thing, I forgot to ask more.”

Minho sighed in defeat and thought about where to start. “Okay.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! i was fairly surprised by how many people had already started reading this so i tried to write this fairly soon. i know it's kinda repetitive but oh well :))  
n e ways, hope you enjoyed. ill try to get the next chapter out quickly too, sorry they're so short >:(
> 
> pls comment and kudos are greatly appreciated! luv <3


	3. Dawned Upon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life's just never that simple.

That night, Chan and Minho really bonded. Once they got talking, they didn’t stop for hours, going back and forth, never staying on one topic too long. One minute it was a debate of pineapples on pizza, the next it was most traumatizing childhood memory. It was refreshing for Chan, to be able to hit it off with someone so easily. Socializing had always been a chore for him. Make as many connections as possible, you never know when you may need them and along the way you might find some people you’ll genuinely care for. Minho was like a breath of fresh air, from the way they met, to the shrill laugh he’d let out at Chan’s recollection of his first date _ (“it went awful, please don’t bring it up again”) _.

When they finally went to their respective rooms, Chan fell asleep easy that night, knowing he would be getting along with his new roommate. 

* * *

“So, hyung, how’s the new roommate? Bin-hyung wouldn’t tell me anything; he said you have to be present when he makes fun of you.”

Chan glared at Changbin who sat, grinning. He turned to Jisung. “I’ll have you know, everything is great. I was just a little nervous when we first met him.”

“Nah, you should’ve seen him, Ji. It was hilarious. He opened the door and just stared. For a solid three seconds. And then after that he all like...” As Changbin continued to enact a very exaggerated version of Chan from the previous weekend (or at least he _ really _ hoped he didn’t look like that), Chan quitely sulked, finishing off the last of his coffee. _ Now would be a good time to get more and escape this mess. _

Right as he was about to flee, Changbin finished and all attention was redirected back to the man in discussion. “So, hyung, were you able to talk to hottie without combusting?” 

Chan sat with him and Jisung at a local coffee shop near campus. It was a common location for their bi-weekly meet-ups. They saw each other much more than that, but it was nice to see each other outside of the studio, take a break from the music and relax. 

Once again regretting confiding in Changbin, Chan rolled his eyes at the remark as his friends snickered. “Yes, after you left we ate dinner and talked for a while. I’m not as horrible with attractive people as you think I am.”

“You say that, but the last time you had to order coffee from a cute barista, you stuttered on your order, dropped your wallet causing all the coins to fall out, and then to top it all off, ended up spilling the drink all over him when he tried to hand it to you. To this day you refuse to walk by that place.” Leave it to Jisung had to bring that up again. 

Of course they couldn’t just bring up one example. “What about that time you tripped and fell over at the mall because you thought a hot guy was waving at you?” Changbin commented. “I remember ‘cause you sprained your ankle!”

“I didn’t fall _ because _ he was hot, I fell because I turned around and the ground was uneven.” 

“So you admit you turned around because hot guy?” interrogated Jisung, grinning mischievously.

Unable to deny the truth, Chan dropped his head into his hands. “Oh my god.” 

And so the rest of the time was dedicated to recounting all their embarrassing embarrassing moments, Chan leading the scores. In all honesty, Minho was a good roommate. Jisung and Changbin would probably never believe him, but they got along great- and after getting used to seeing him around, Chan has had significantly less ‘gay panic’ moments- although that doesn’t mean they never happen.

The first time Chan saw Minho walk out the bathroom with nothing but a towel around his waist, he swore his heart stopped. And the second. And the third, and there’s no denying that it was still going to happen every time because Chan just couldn’t help but stare when there was a pretty boy right in front of him.

As of now, he hadn’t done anything majorly embarrassing, so if he kept that up, there wouldn’t be any problems. Minho was a good roommate, and Chan was glad to have him around.

* * *

He took it back. Minho was not a good roommate. Chan was _ not _ glad to have him around.

It started with a few books scattered around the dining table, maybe a jacket somewhere in the living room. But now? Chan is going to lose his shit.

He never considered himself a “neat freak”. He had his pile of laundry in the corner that lord knew when would get washed. The bed was never made if Chan had a morning class that day and there was always the mini army of water bottles he’d forget to recycle. But he realized now that he’d never felt more like one because he’d never been around someone _ this _messy.

A week and a half into their shared living, Chan had seen more glasses sitting around than at a frat party. Is it that hard to keep reusing one glass? Or put them in the sink? Or hell, even in the goddamn dishwasher since all it was was WATER. He tried bringing it up to Minho after he first noticed it. 

_ “Hey Minho?” Chan called down the hall. He didn’t want to get too bitchy with his new roommate. It wasn’t a big deal, but he really didn’t want to collect a big pile of cups to wash. _

_ “Yeah?” The younger had yet to come out, but if he was busy it wasn’t a problem. _

_ “Do you think you could clear up the glasses scattered around? ‘Cause later when we have to do the dishes it becomes kind of a pain.” _

_ After a bit of shuffling the door opened and Minho popped his head out, still toweling his hair from a shower. “Oh, yeah, no problem! Sorry ‘bout that. I always get one and mean to reuse it, but then I leave and by the time I come back I forgot I left it there.” He spoke sheepishly. _

_ Who was Chan to complain when Minho looked at him like that, with such an innocent smile and genuine apology? “Uh, yeah, it’s not that big a deal, just, makes things a little bit better in the long run.” _

_ “Of course Channie! Is that it?” Ch-channie? Chan was going to explode. _

_ “Y-yeah, yeah, that’s all.” Minho nodded giving Chan one more small smile before disappearing into his room. _

And so it continued like that. Everytime Chan found something new to complain about, Minho would work his charm and leaving him a stuttering mess and forgetting what he was even mad about. Didn’t do the dishes on his day? _ Oh god, I’m so sorry. I’ve just been so drained lately and it slips my mind. Next time, I promise. _ Left his toiletries all over the bathroom counter? _ Shit. Sorry, Channie, I was really in a rush this morning. I’ll clean it up now. _ Books and papers scattered around? _ Sorry about that, you know how it is as a student though right? I’ll organize it tonight. _Always that soft, sweet smile, where his lips part just the slightest and one corner turns up a little more. It’d almost be a smirk if it weren’t for those damn sparkly eyes. Like for real??

Chan did a little experiment where he didn’t bring up any of his messes to Minho, see if he’d remember and do it himself. Ha. No. Three days-- of hell. By the end of it Chan wanted to cry. Stepping into the kitchen made him nauseous, knowing he’d have to clean all of it. Chan was seriously at his breaking point.

After some consideration, Chan decided that he’d finally confront Minho about the situation. Mostly because if he had to tip-toe around the apartment any more, he would probably lose it. That day on the ride home, he steeled himself for the conversation, rehearsing lines and reminded himself to stay level headed. Hopefully he’d be able to get through to Minho about how important this was to him. 

Before stepping into the apartment, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, preparing himself for the sight he’d have to look at again. Soon enough he’d be able to clean this and it would all be over. Making his way to the kitchen, he grabbed an instant ramen cup and began boiling water. As he surveyed the room, he let out yet another sigh. The counter was barely visible under the dishes and left out food. The areas of the counter surrounding the coffee maker were stained brown. The overflowing trash can looked close to spilling over and Chan didn’t even want to think about walking barefoot, keeping his shoes on. 

With ramen made and ready to be eaten, Chan deliberated where the best place to eat was. _ There’s too much school work on the table, don’t wanna spill on that… my room is off limits, I’m NOT making that dirty… which leaves the couch? ah fuck it, it’s just clothes. _ And Chan wasn’t gonna question it anymore. He was tired and if anything Minho can just wash the articles again if it really bugs him. As he plopped down-

_ Crack! _

“Ow, fuck! Jesus christ- what the hell?!” Throwing aside the jacket, he revealed Minho’s very fancy looking camera. Upon closer inspection, Chan discovered cracks running through the glass. “Ah shit.” Great. He broke the lens. And he knew those weren’t cheap. If he were being rational, he would realize it was more his mistake and feel guilty. But he wasn’t. Irritation bubbled under his skin. Now he wasn’t just tired. He was tired _ and _ pissed. “Why can’t I catch a break with this guy?!” 

Chan had enough. He was already at his limit and this just pushed him over the edge. Setting the camera on the coffee table, he sat down again and bitterly finished his ramen. If Minho thought he could get away with doing whatever he wanted in this space and act irresponsible with his shit, then he was painfully wrong. So instead of heading to bed, Chan stayed put, and waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk why the other chapter has 2 notes and it's bugging me but oh well. n e ways
> 
> chapter 3 is up! B )  
sorry this one took longer, had to find inspiration and then wait for my lovely editor to fix it up.  
hope you guys are enjoying, and have a wonderful day!  
luv~


	4. Heated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chan cracks, Minho complains, and Seungjin are tired of their friend's shit

It wasn’t that Minho was trying to make a mess. It really was just so easy to forget.

He was a busy guy, and the commute to and from his classes was just a bit farther, just a bit more draining. Work didn’t help with that, slowly becoming more taxing with an increase of students. He really did feel guilty the first few times he noticed how his messy tendencies were affecting his roommate, but then again, it was kinda fun to watch Chan go from mildly irritated to an embarrassed ditz. Seriously. How could he not tease the guy when just a small smile made the other melt and the nickname Channie made him blush and forget his words? Minho came to the conclusion that the poor man must not attract that much attention, which really was a shame.

He really should’ve known that one day shit would finally hit the fan.

That day, he came home from work exhausted. There was extra paperwork that needed to be filed and apparently, today was ‘everyone ask Minho to teach the classes’ day. He usually loved to help with the classes. Dancing was his passion, and it felt nice to be able to help others discover that joy too. But today was especially taxing. He was looking forward to just downing some instant ramen, taking a quick shower, and heading straight to bed and getting a good night’s sleep. However, Chan had other plans. 

“Hey there Minho. Why don’t you take a seat?” There Chan was, sitting on the edge of the couch, hunched over and arms resting on his knees. He was surrounded by a mess of Minho’s belongings: jackets, books, socks, a snow globe, and other miscellaneous he dumped in a rush. “Oh wait a minute, there’s no more space on the couch. I wonder why?” Chan shot him a tight-lipped smile that never reached his eyes.  _ Ah, shit _ .

“Oh...hey, Chan”. He tried giving him a smile, but he was just too tired, and he could tell that Chan wasn’t going to fall for his charms. “How was your day?” he asked nervously.

Chan’s expression remained. “We need to have a serious talk. Now.” Shit. He really fucked up, huh..

“Um, okay.” He would’ve sat, but as Chan kindly pointed out, there was no space. He remained standing in the entry hall, leaning against the wall.

Trying to remain calm, Chan spoke slowly. “I really didn’t want to make a big deal out of this, but it’s getting out of hand. You need to start cleaning up after yourself, Minho.” 

“Yeah I know,” Minho began. “I’ve been meaning to-” 

Chan cut him off. “Cut the crap, you haven’t planned to do shit.” 

Minho tried to defend himself. “No I have, it’s just as I’ve been saying before I’ve been  _ really busy _ an-”

“Is that really all you’ve got? Minho, everyone is busy. _I’m_ busy. But for the past week, I’ve been coming home to this mess and have had to remind you to clean up after yourself, like you’re some ten-year-old. And in the end, I usually end up doing it myself.” As Minho listened, he tried to refute Chan’s statements or come up with some viable reason he was slacking, but was coming up empty.

“You know, I came home today, thinking I’d give myself a break, and you wanna know what happens? I go sit on my couch, and end up sitting on a fucking camera.” Chan said, gesturing to the camera sitting on the coffee table. Minho gasped.  _ Shit, that was Seungmin’s. _

Minho stared at the piece on the table, feeling the panic rise in his chest. He started towards the coffee table. “Did- did you break it?”

“Of course I fucking broke it! Do I look like a pillow?”

Now full on panicking, Minho picked up the camera, inspecting it to confirm that the camera lens was, in fact, completely shattered. He knew how important this camera was to Seungmin, and that the younger had trusted him to keep it safe. With only the camera on his mind, Minho snapped back.

“You broke it!? Why the hell would you sit down?”

“Why wouldn’t I??”

Minho raised his voice, his anger building. “You knew my things were on the couch!”

Chan rose and wildly gestured to the couch. “I should be able to sit down and relax on my own damn couch!”

“Then, you should have waited until I cleared my stuff!”

“And when was that gonna be, huh? Tell me, Minho, when the hell have you ever cleaned your goddamn shit without me telling you too? Look around. Have you not noticed? Three days. Its been three days of me keeping quiet about you tossing around whatever the fuck- and nothing. NOTHING has been cleaned.” Chan jammed his finger into Minho’s chest, making him step back. “You’re lucky I’ve even been doing the dishes on my days, or else we wouldn’t have anything to make whatever the fuck it is that takes you 20 different dishes-”

“As I’ve said, I’ve been really busy and I forget to keep track. I don’t just dilly-dally all day long and then sleep.”

“I don’t care what you do and don’t do Minho. You’re in my house, and you need to respect that space.”

“Last time I checked: this is my house too,” Minho countered. “Since I’m paying half the rent.”

“You haven’t even had to pay for anything besides a small down payment fee yet!!”

Minho rolled his eyes. “So?”

“My point is, we  _ share _ this space. If you don’t learn to clean up after yourself, pull your weight and be responsible, then I’m kicking you out.”

If you were to ask anyone who knew Minho, they would say his worst trait is he’s stubborn. If he thinks he’s right, he will stand by it. If he decides to cut ties, you best say your final goodbyes and expect to never speak with him again. If you’re arguing with Minho, he will refuse to see your side of the argument, set in his ways, blinded by pride.

And that’s exactly what happened.

“Fine,” Minho replied coolly. “I’ll be out by the end of the week.” He held his hands up in surrender.

At this, Chan laughed bitterly.  _ Was he really going to be this immature?  _ “Okay, if that’s what you want.” and the argument was left at that. Chan walked away and quietly closed the door to his room. Still running off steam, Minho stormed out of the apartment. 

This was not how he wanted the rest of his night to go. 

Hearing the front door slam, Chan remained still at the foot of the room. He heaved a deep sigh and slumped against the door.  _ That did not go as planned _ . 

If anything, he knew he was at fault for how quickly things escalated. He got carried away, fueled by the days’ worth of pent-up frustration and he exploded. And while Minho, in fact,  _ did  _ deserve  most some of it, that was no way to solve a problem. And now he had to find a whole new roommate again.  _ Fuck. _

As mad as he was at Minho, he’d give anything to not go through that search process again. With Minho gone, there was nothing he could do now, the younger probably just left to cool down. That’s all.

_ It’ll be okay.  _

“I can not believe that fucking asshole!” Minho ranted pacing around Seungmin and Hyunjin’s dormitory. The two currently lived on-campus, seeing as they weren’t ready to buy and take care of their own living space.

“As much as I’d loved to agree with you, hyung, all you’ve done is curse the guy. What’d he even do? Last time I checked, you said he was chill.” Hyunjin pointed out. He loved his hyung, but he knew the other tended to get carried away when angry.

The younger wasn’t wrong. For the past twenty minutes, all Minho’s done was mutter profanities and glare at the wall. Usually, he would’ve moved on by now, but this was a special case. Minho always came to the two because they were the most understanding people he’d met. When he went to them with a problem, they didn’t judge for acting ‘bitchy’. They just listened. While Hyunjin would empathize and talk him down, Seungmin helped him logically go through issue and resolve it in the best way. 

Which is why he put off opening up. He knew he was at fault, but yet refused to take blame. And as a result, Seungmin’s most prized possession got damaged.

Hyunjin made tea for all of them, eyeing Seungmin, who was sat next to the elder, examining him. He could see the two trying to silently communicate, but ignored them. 

Seungmin spoke up in his usual calm demeanor. “Hyung, I know you’re angry but talking about it more will help.” 

While he didn’t want to break the news to Seungmin, he knew that it was better to do it right then and there, rather than wait. The real challenge, however, was carefully choosing his next words, as to lessen the blow.

“Well,” he began. “You know how busy I’ve been getting lately, and how when I get busy, I tend to be more forgetful- I disregard my surroundings and forget to take proper care of myself...” The other two nodded, nudging him to continue. “...Apparently that’s not as acceptable when you share a space with someone, instead of just living at your parents’ place.”

Hyunjin gave him a look of pity. “So what happened?” he questioned.

“I just...haven’t been doing my part around the apartment. I forget I live with another person who lives by such different standards. So I’ve fallen back into old habits. Dumping stuff around as I go in and out, leaving toiletries out in the bathroom, not washing dishes and forgetting to put leftovers away- the whole nine yards.”

Seungmin just continued to stare in disbelief at how thoughtless his hyung was. He knew the other was a little rushed and forgetful, but he’d never really been to the others house so he didn’t know how the other was at home. Hyujin, as a childhood friend wasn’t as surprised. Minho’s mom gave him a lot of slack on house upkeep as long as he continued to work hard in school and his passions, so that’s what the other did. He should’ve figured it would translate to where he moved at first. “Yeah, hyung that’s… that’s really bad. It’s common etiquette to pick up after yourself.”

“I know! I’m just not used to it. Chan would always remind me if I forgot to do something, and it worked well enough because then I’d fix it but… I guess he got tired of keeping track.” 

“Well of course he would, eventually,” Seungmin pointed out. “Think about it. To him, you’re coming into his space, and after being very warmly welcomed- as you described last week taking that generosity, and throwing it back in his face.”

“But I really didn’t mean to! It just that cleaning isn’t my number one priority. I have other things on my to do list that are way more important than putting cups in the sink.”

“But he doesn’t know how you grew up, though” Hyunjin explained. “To him, you’re just some dude with no sense of sanitation or common decency.”

Seungmin nodded. “Honestly, you should just go back and apologize- explain yourself more than just ‘I’m really busy and forgetful’” 

Minho winced. “I think it might be a little too late for that…”

“Minho. What did you do?” Seungmin asked sternly.

_ It's now or never _ . “Well, our fight, it got a little heated. Turns out he, uh, broke your camera.”

Seungmin’s eyes widened. “ _ HE WHAT?”  _ He didn’t bother trying to hide the rage in his voice and Minho could already feel him planning his revenge.

“By accident!” Minho added before it was too late. “I left it on the couch under a bunch of other stuff- unintentionally- and he sat down on it and fucked up the lens. So I got mad and yelled, and then he got mad and yell ed, and then a lot of yelling ensued, and then he threatened to kick me out if I didn’t start pulling my weight. And then, becaus e I’m stubborn as hell and wasn’t thinking properly, I just told him ‘Fine, I’ll be I’ll be out by the end of the week,’ and left it at that,” he confessed. He held his breath and braced himself.

Silence. 

“Minho.” He watched Seungmin take a deep breath, slowly. “You are such a fucking idiot.

“I know, I know. I’m really sorry, Seungmin. I’ll buy you a new one, but-”

“No, you need to go back there  _ right now _ and apol ogize and beg him to let you stay,” Seungmin demanded. “Like, right fucking now.” 

Minho’s mouth fell open. “W-what?” He stammered. That was  _ not  _ the answer he was expecting, 

“Hyung, do you remember how desperate you were to get out of your parents house? And how excited you were about getting your own place?”

“Well, I had a roommate.”

“ _ Have _ a roommate,” Seungmin digressed. “Still, remember how happy you were to, and I quote,  _ ‘finally be free?’ _ And now you’re just gonna go back? To your parents’ basement? Because I know your ass is  _ not _ thinking about living here.”

Minho was confused. “So...you’re not mad at me? About the camera?” 

“Oh, no, I’m pissed. But I have the clarity to know it’s your fault my camera’s broken. You’re buying me a new lens.”

“Of course,” Minho affirmed. “And I really am sorry. I know how much your camera means to you.” 

“It’s fine,” He assured. “Now, you’ve apologized to me, so you can apologize to Chan.” Seungmin gestured to the door. “Go.”

Minho’s face fell. “What?”

“You heard me. Go home right now and apologize to Chan. He is not in the wrong in this situation.”

“Yeah, I get that it’s my fault, but-”

“Cool!” Seungmin interrupted with a tense smile. “So you’re gonna go apologize?”

“Well, yes- but actually, no. Not right now.” He could see Seungmin start to lose his composure.

“Why not? Just go home and say sorry.”

An uneasy feeling began to seep into Minho’s shoulders. “I don’t know, but I can’t right now. I don’t want to deal with this guy right now. I was hoping that I could maybe stay the night?”

“Minho, go home.”

Minho put his head in his hands. “ _ I can’t.” _

“Then w-”

“Seungminnie,” Hyunjin piped up from where he was sitting next to Minho. He’d been so silent, just listening, that Minho almost forgot he was there. “He’s not ready, he can sleep on the couch for a night. He can apologize tomorrow.”

Seungmin folded his arms. “Why?” 

“Simple. He’s a Scorpio.” Ah, Hyunjin. Always that astrology bitch.

“Hyunjin.”

“I’m kidding,” Hyunjin teased, even though all three of them knew that wasn’t the case. He continued. “But, Seungminnie, look at him. I don’t think he’s ready. Minho,” he turned to Minho. “No offense, but I’m pretty sure if you were to go back right now, knowing you, you would make the whole situation even worse.”

“Exactly, I’m a horrible person. If I were to go back now, I’d probably get thrown out on the spot. Don’t let me go home.” At this point Minho was willing to completely throw himself under the bus. Whatever it took to convince Seungmin to let him stay.

“Exactly. Which is why I think we should let him stay the night.” In this moment, Minho could not be any more grateful for Hyunjin’s pity.

Seungmin yielded. “I guess. One night, though.”

At this, all the tension in Minho body faded. “Thank you Seungmin, seriously, thank you so much.” Seungmin rolled his eyes at his hyungs dramatics but nevertheless, accepted the underlying sincerity.

“Don’t thank me- thank Hyunjin. I’m going to bed now, barging in right when I was about to sleep,” Seungmin grumbled as he walked towards his room. Minho shrugged off his pissy attitude and lack of honorifics, satisfied that he had a place to sleep, and all his problems could wait until tomorrow. With Seungmin gone, both sat quietly finishing their now lukewarm (at best) tea.

“We don’t really have any spare blankets but you can use the throw over in my room?” Hyunjin offered. “It’s pretty thin, but I can turn the air conditioning down.”

“Yeah that works.” 

Now that the subject had been dropped Minho could relax and-

“Hyung, I love you, but you gotta get past your ego. If you knew you were wrong why didn’t you just apologize?” Hyunjin began setting up the couch as he started his own questioning of the elder. Minho could never catch a break, could he?

“Well, like I said, I tried but he didn’t want to listen to them.”

“They were half assed apologizes weren’t they.” Once again finding himself caught between a rock and a hard place, Minho opted to stay silent.

“I know you too well hyung. You pulled a Lee Know on him didn’t you.”

“I really don’t like that phrase.”

“But it’s cool! Doesn’t it fit so well?” 

“Do explain.”

“Think about it, it’s about you, so we use your last name Lee. And then the tactic of using your knowledge of other people’s weaknesses or tendencies to your advantage when you want something. Lee Know! Would you rather I say you used someone again for-”

“Okay, okay go back to the first thing, you make me sound too cruel.”

“But hyung, it is. It was fine when we were younger because you could get away with it but now? It just seems petty. You can’t just fuck around with people.”

“But I’m not. I’m not leading them on or threatening them, I’m just…”. It’s starting to get really hard to word things in his favor. God having best friends sucks. Who needs to be that emotionally attached to someone and know everything about them?

  
  


“Twisting your words and actions whenever necessary to gain whatever you wanted. It’s a distract and strike tactic. You saw someone who you  _ knew _ could easily be manipulated by you, and used it to your advantage.” While Hyunjin was trying to be as nice as possible in this confrontation, Mino knew he was right, and each piece stung just a little bit more. 

“Way to make me feel guilty.” Minho pouted, almost in anger but you could see his facade cracking.

“You should! And it’s okay, you can still make up for it. There’s time to change, and reflect, and prevent further harm in the future.”

Minho sighed in defeat. As much as didn’t want to admit, he understood what Hyunjin what saying. His intentions were never cynical, he just found it the easiest way to get shit done. People would always tell him ‘chase your dreams’ and ‘use what you got’. And it just so happened that he had the great talent of persuasion. Along with good looks but he likes to give more of the great to his quick wit. “Okay, fine. I’ll try to be less… Lee Know-y” 

  
Hyunjin brightened at his hyungs compliance. The use of the  <strike> cool </strike> phrase he made up helped too. “Good! Now get some rest. You’re gonna need it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! thanks for reading <3  
i'm SO SORRY for how late this update is. school started so now me and my editor have both been busy. if it makes you guys feel better i do have the next few chapters already planned so it shouldn't be too hard to get them out, just need to find a new writing routine. hope you're enjoying it so far! comments and kudos appreciated :D  
luv~


	5. update...again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> haha.

idk if people regularly check this, but due to the issues with wj i have deleted chapter 5, it will be rewritten and he will no longer be in this or any of my other works as i don't support him and don't want to create character with his likeness. i will also be deleting my other work astronaut as it had him in it and i don't want to bother rewriting it. 

apologies for never updating this. i don't know when i'll feel the inspiration to write again and i feel bad leaving this as a wip. i appreciate everyones comments andkudos so far, they meant a lot <333 

ill stop making updatednow hjghdskdl

if you have questions or summ you can comment & if you'd like you can follow me on twt, @/ minluverboy 

luv~

**Author's Note:**

> hello! thank you for reading :))  
honestly i have no idea where this is going but hopefully this doesn't end up being too dry or awful.  
pls comment! am open to plot suggestions or small chapter ideas.  
have a great day! <3


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